Fellowship of the Key
by ImAMelon
Summary: Two years have passed since the defeat of the Organization. Now plagued with the memories of the past, Sora, Riku and Kairi attempt to live a normal life back home on Destiny Island. Now it seems as though Merlin has found a new quest with old friends.
1. The Key Master

Fellowship of the Key

I am back, with a new story! Don't worry, I am writing the second chapter for _Week Of Hell_ I just...wanted to do something different, and this has been rattling around in my brain for literally ever! So, here it is.

Disclaimers: I do not own any part of Kingdom Hearts or other SquareEnix things, nor do I own any part of Lord of the Rings either. I know it's a sad, sad, world when a fangirl can't own anything that she truly loves.

Alright so here are a few key things: 'Talking' - _Flashbacks_ - xXx scene change  


* * *

Chapter One: The Key Master

Radiant Gardens, long since has its proper name been restored as well as many of the rightful buildings. Though there are many sectors of the world that are still going under reconstruction, the committee is hard at work with no hassle from the Heartless or even the Nobodies. Peace, it seemed, had returned to the world that had once been thrown into chaos not once, but twice. First from Maleficent and then again by the Organization it had seemed as though Hollow Bastion, as it had been named before, was doomed to forever be ruled in darkness. Then they had come, wielding blades that could strike down the minions of Darkness -Sora, Donald, and Goofy had conquered the evils. With the help of their friends, and unexpected allies, they drove the Heartless and Nobodies away. Restoring the world to its proper glory and returning to those their memories of fonder times. And the world had never been in such a better state. With the help of Tron and the computer world, the Garden was being restored to ten times its original grandeur, it was flawless –or at least it was on its way to becoming so.

But with great peace also comes great sorrow. Once again the world had been closed off from all the others; with the lock placed firmly on the roads between the worlds there was no way for them to see their old friends again. After the battle with Sephiroth, Cloud and Tifa had returned home. Yuffie, Arieth and Cid had remained behind to help the others finish with the reconstruction but now that, that was almost to an end the three of them had started to wonder about how it was they where going to get home. Leon as well, had long since debated if it was going to be possible for him to return to Balamb after this, or if the former SeeD commander was going to be put in charge of a new Garden –one without such harsh formalities or expectations, but nonetheless a somber background.

The only person who did not seem to be fazed by the passage of time around the world was Merlin, the wizard, who seemed to be popping in and out of worlds as though he had no better pass time. However, when confronted about his trips –that could sometimes be for weeks or merely a few hours, he would clam up and not speak a word. He would either busy himself with one of the many tomes that he had taken to writing or he would vanish in a puff of smoke and return to where ever he had been before.

'I can't take it anymore!' Yuffie shouted one morning as the whole group, minus the magician, was seated around the table. Arieth looked over at the young ninja as she finished cooking breakfast and slowly walked over,

'What is it that you can't stand, dear?'

'Merlin! Coming and going all the time. Like where does he go, what is he doing…is he visiting Sora or is he merely getting out of having to do any real work while the entire time he's still in Radiant Gardens?' Her question silenced the whole room. No one had ever been able to corner Merlin long enough to ask the old, and aging, man what he was up to when he left. The most they could do was speculate, as Yuffie had done. Most of them had come to the same answerless question as she. Leon sat up in his seat, all eyes turned on him as he took a drink of his coffee and he blinked,

'What…are you looking at me like that for?'

'You looked like you where about to say something.'

His eye twitched and he set his mug down on the table, 'Just because I straightened my back, which happens to be sore from fixing roofs all day yesterday –does not mean that I have something to say.'

'So you miss him too then?' Once again her question struck a cord in everyone present. Of course they all missed him. Him being Sora. With his bright blue eyes that where so childish yet serious and always held onto just that little twinkle of mischief. His unruly sandy brown hair that stuck out all over the place often had been the bases of Yuffie's jokes –saying that the brunet and Cloud must see the same hairstylist. And of course, his happy-go-lucky attitude, that always seemed to be the shimmer of the day and never failed to deflate. Leon had always seemed happier when the little keyblade wielder was around, though it wasn't uncommon as everyone had been happier when Sora was around. Even Cid had been less irritable and more enjoyable to have as company. Goofy too, was tolerable company and never failed to make them smile with a joke or two –mostly though it was when he got after Donald, who was so hard to comprehend that no one paid him any attention though they enjoyed having him around as well.

'Maybe…they'll come and visit us someday.'

'Yuffie, it's been almost two years. Sora's not only sixteen now, but he's also home. With Riku and Kairi.'

'Ol'Squalls is right, ya snooty brat. Them kids probably don't even remember us anymore.'

Yuffie sighed as she stabbed her fork into the egg that Arieth had set on a plate in front of her. She refused to believe that, Sore would never forget them. Even when everyone had apparently lost their memories –and all that had transpired in the past…Sora had never forgotten about them. In fact the spunky teen had physically and verbally refused to forget who they were. Just because he had returned to Destiny Island with his childhood friends didn't mean anything…except that he got another shot at leading a normal life, as all teenagers should. Pushing her food around, Yuffie sighed and took a bite. Arieth was a real good cook, and the habit of eating seemed to fill in the silence so that it was not so awkward. Everyone lost to their own thoughts; no one heard the sizzle of magic or the pops and crackles of the dramatic entrance that the long bearded wizard made. Merlin stood in the middle of the room, watching the group with a thoughtful expression on his face. What the team needed was a surprise and a vacation, after all –if they got too used to the idea of a peaceful world than they would grow sloppy and lazy. Not to mention bored and reckless as they try to seek other ways to fulfill their empty minutes.

'Have I news that is most surely going to cheer you sorry lot up.' Leon looked over at the old mans voice and raised an eyebrow, wondering –as was everyone else just when Merlin had arrived. The old wizard didn't give them too long to contemplate it though as he stroked his beard and sat in his chair, 'How would you youngsters feel up to helping old friends in new places?' They all stared at him like he had grown another head, and knowing Merlin he was quite capable of such a feat.

'No offense Merlin, but we have work to do around here.'

'Fiddlesticks! You have work that must be done else where. Tron can handle what ever needs to be done around here.'

Leon sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, he was about to open his mouth to protest when he heard the familiar sound of Merlin starting to cast a spell. This was not cool! He felt the room start to spin and smell faintly of cotton candy and the ocean. As the room started to fade, he heard Yuffie say something as she fell to the ground, Cid followed after, and Leon thought he saw Cloud walk into the room as he too fell towards the ground.

xXx

Blue eyes stared out the window with a glossy look to them. Time had passed both slowly and fast on the little island, and for Sora and his friends life couldn't be more normal…or at least as normal could come for the once keyblade master. The lithe brunet still found he was jumping at his own shadow and those of others, most of the time he would half expect them to rise out of the ground and start attacking him. He had nightmares too, about the ground rising up and swallowing him, about his body no longer belonging to himself even though he could still see all that was passing through his own eyes. Many times he would wake in a cold sweat, breathing heavy, and heart racing as he looked around the darkness of his room expecting to see a member of the Organization standing above him with their hoods pulled over their faces and eyes glowing red behind the darkness. With those thoughts in his mind, Sora wouldn't be able to fall asleep and would simply lie in bed as the sun crept slowly out of the ocean and bathed the mainland in its light.

'Sora, hey, Sora.' The cheerful voice of his best just-a-girl friend, Kairi brought him out of his thoughts as she tapped his shoulder and he jumped a few feet in the air, before turning around with narrowed eyes that both slowly and quickly relaxed,

'Sorry, Kairi…but I've told you not to sneak up on me like that.'

The red head placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes, 'Sneak up? I've only been calling you for the last ten minutes,' her tone went from the scolding mother hen she had always been into that of the concerned I-want-to-date-you mother hen she had become, 'What's wrong…you seem a little more out of it than usual.'

Sora sighed and went back to looking out the window, 'It's nothing, Kai…just haven't been sleeping well lately is all.' He turned back around and gave her a big grin, not that it did anything to reassure the girl that he was okay but she let it slide and took a step to the side, leaning against the wall she looked down the hall,

'So…are you going to the dance tonight?' Oh that dance, it was all the school and half the island was talking about for the last month and a half. Some big festival to celebrate one thing or another, Sora forgot what it was about and really he wasn't too interested in it, so he just shook his head. And instantly regretted doing so, the look that Kairi gave him made him feel bad, and with a sigh he gave in.

'Fine…I'll go to the dance.'

She smiled, 'You won't regret going. Besides, you've been locking yourself in your room more than not lately…me and Riku are worried, as is everyone else.'

'I just… I'm just having a harder time readjusting.' He looked her in the eye and it was her turn to sigh. Kairi put a hand on Sora's shoulder,

'Sora, it's been two years. Let it go, the past is in the past.'

'It's not so simple!' He growled and swatted her hand away, storming down the hallway of the school. It being lunch time, there were students here and there who had witnessed what had happened and whispered amongst themselves. It was no secret how Kairi felt for the brunet, and everyone thought that he was aware of it as well…and for as close as the two of them were there was rumor that they had been dating. But this, would serve as something else, just another mindless rumor to be spread around about paranoid Sora. Kairi glared at them as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, picked up her bag, and walked back towards her locker.

Sora was still mad at Kairi as he reached the doors and pushed them open, stepping out into the bright afternoon sun. The smell of the ocean assaulted his nose, and he would be lying if he said he hadn't missed it; the sea breeze in his hair, the sun kissing his skin, and the weightless feeling that came for the complete relaxation, a relaxation that he had never been able to fall back into. Sora knew, or at least hoped, that Riku felt the same –though he imagined that it was probably harder on the silver haired teenager. Looking around from his spot on the school steps Sora shut his eyes and took everything in, all that he had missed and the clear sounds of those that he hadn't. In the distance, he could see Play Island…the spot where it had all started and he had been so sure that it had all ended. Though he had only been twelve at the time and what, really, did a twelve year old boy know about saving not only his world but the worlds of countless others? Absolutely nothing…but he had learned. Learned and won –but at what cost…his childhood, perhaps, as well as any chance to be a normal teenage boy.

Sora opened his eyes and looked at the mini island, sitting out there and not hurting anyone. Selphie had even told them that it was still being used by the smaller kids of the mainland, that would take the row boats out after school and play around on the forts that had been made long before they had been born.

'I wonder what would have happened if I never had suggested that we try and go to other worlds.' Sora jumped again, though already being edgy it wasn't as high and he wasn't so scared as the calm voice of his best friend came through his thoughts.

'If it was fate, Riku, it would have happened anyway.'

Riku let out a chuckle and folded his hands behind his head, a pose that the brunet had taken on more than once during the past four years. He looked around and sighed as they both looked out at the horizon. Neither one of them had been back to the place that had started it all…the race for the naming of the raft, the actual building of the flimsy craft with the mindset that it would allow them to travel to new worlds –and of course the sword play. Riku still holding the record of ninety-nine to one, it had been that one victory that had made Sora so excited that he had talked about it for a week, and Riku had been so amused that he had made his friend so happy, that the silver haired youth had never been able to tell Sora that he had let him win.

Sora had turned to go back in the building when Riku reached over and grabbed his arm.

'What?' He asked rather tiredly, and sighed at the look in Riku's eyes. It was the same look that Kairi had given him earlier.

'How are you holding up.' It wasn't a question, which was fine by Sora because he didn't feel up to answering and it didn't hold the faux-concern that the red headed girl laced her words with. Sora felt bad for mentally accusing Kairi of not caring when he knew that she did but he also knew that she was growing tired and annoyed with his attitude. He had overheard Tidus and Wakka complain about how bitchy Selphie had become because Kairi wouldn't stop whining to her about Sora and his "change". He snorted, which made a silver eyebrow raise slightly and he pulled his arm away,

'I could ask you the same thing.' Riku's eyes went downcast and for a moment Sora thought that he had won. Though that had been the keyword, Thought, Sora never won against Riku…he frowned, that wasn't true anymore but was also apart of the memories best left undisturbed.

Riku looked back at him with an unreadable expression on his face, 'I am coping. I'll admit it's not as easy as it may seem. I still have nightmares, I still look over my shoulder –and I still worry about you, Sora, and Kairi.'

Sora looked down at the ground, now that Riku had come out and said something it was probably expected that he would as well. Looking back at the other teenager Sora opened his mouth to speak but the bell rang, signaling everyone to return to class, and Sora lost his courage to speak. Turning around Riku grabbed his arm again,

'We can finish this late, at the dance.'

Sora growled softly and pulled away, running back in to the building. Riku watched him and shook his head slowly, as he strutted back into the school.

xXx

He stared at himself in the mirror as he played with his hair. Sora sighed, he hadn't changed much in the past two years. He still had his child-like looks; the blue eyes, the slightly baby face, and of course his brown hair that went all over the place. Pulling at a rather large clump he sighed with a soft smile,

'_Hey check it out, Momma Spike and Baby Spike!' Yuffie laughed as she jumped off the table and hid behind Leon, who looked over his shoulder at the sneaky ninja,_

_'I don't know why you're hiding behind me. If Cloud and Sora really want to hurt you, then I am going to move.' Everyone laughed as the hyper ninja pouted and crossed her arms. _

_'Well look, they have the exact same hair. Only Cloud's blond and Sora…' She grinned and looked at Leon, who blinked and took a step back, he didn't like the look that was crossing her face, '…and Sora, has the same colored hair as you, Squall.'_

_He made a face, as did the other two males involved with the questioning process._

_'Don't mean to bust your bubble Yuff, but that's not possible. Besides, my parents are back…home.'_

_'AH, Sora, I am sorry!'_

_He gave her a trademark grin, 'It's okay, really.' With that he jumped on her and resumed their roughhousing, trying to prove just who the better ninja was. Cloud looked over at Leon who shrugged and went back to his coffee…_

'Sora, Riku and Kairi are here!' The sound of his mother yelling up the stairs brought him out of his thoughts and with a sigh he wiped away a stray tear,

'I'll be down in a minute!' He called back, pulling on a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Giving himself one last look in the mirror he sighed again as his younger, happier, self looked back with that cheesy grin that had always made everyone feel better. Shaking his head he grabbed his jacket and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him and skipped down the stairs two at a time. In the mirror, his reflection remained, Roxas sighed and placed a hand on the cool glass surface his eyes full of sadness. But there was nothing that he could do for the other teen, his other half; he was merely a reflection in the glass. Closing his eyes, he faded –leaving the surface empty once more.

xXx

'It's about time youz got here.'

'Sorry Wakka, had to wait for the girls to finish getting ready.' Riku teased with a comment that earned him a glare from Kairi, but had also pulled a laugh from the orange haired teen and the other blond that had walked up behind him.

'Hey Tidus, where's Selphie?'

A nervous look crossed over Tidus's face as he and Wakka exchanged glances. The last thing that the blond boy wanted, and needed, was to tell Kairi where his girlfriend was; first off Selphie would never forgive him for ruining her evening so early on and second…Selphie didn't really like Kairi all that much anymore.

'Sh-she's by the bonfire…'

'Thanks,' Kairi smiled at them and wandered off down the beach through the swarm of people that had also come down to the beach. Most were younger teenagers and a few adults. There was a stand for food, another for sweets and one for drinks. A bonfire blazed hear the middle of the beach and loud music filtered through the air, it was just like any other party –minus the alcohol and the added few smaller children that ran screaming through the sand and played in the water.

Sora had seated himself on a log near the bonfire and munched away on a stick of cotton candy. Kairi and Selphie had long since gotten up and moved to a less crowed area so they could talk. He was thankful they had left instead of trying to drag him into a conversation as he was concentrating on the flames and the shadows that danced all around. It almost looked as though the shadows of the people and the sticks were trying to attack the flame –but the fire was doing a more than efficient job of fending them off. Once again a single tear made its way down his cheek and with a balled fist he wiped it away. Now was not the time to think of that, Axel had been the enemy, but, said a voice in his head, Axel had also proved to be a friend in the end. Sora shook his head, he wasn't my friend…he was Roxas's friend.

He was so caught up in thought watching the fire dance, every bit as graceful as the Nobody who took its name into his title that he did not hear the footsteps in the sand or feel the log shift as extra weight was added to it –and he did not hear as Riku called his name. All sound fell mute on Soras' ears with the exception of the crackle of the wood and the waves crashing on the shore –it was tranquil. Riku frowned; he had been watching Sora for most of the night from over by the bar, as he talked with Wakka –who was working the drinks. He had noticed how far away the brunet seemed to be from the world, not even noticing when his cotton candy slipped from his hand and fell into the sand.

Cautiously Riku placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. The contact seemed to have snapped the brunet back to his sense as all the sounds came rushing back and time returned to normal. Sora fell off the log and placed his hands over his ears –it was loud. Then it was though something in his mind snapped into place and he remembered that something had touched him. Grabbing the once forgotten candy stick off the ground he spun around in one fluid motion, head darting from side to side, eyes scanning for the Shadow that had crept up on him. When he couldn't find it, he relaxed slightly but still continued to scan the area eyes landing on Riku. Riku had a somber expression on his face but his aqua eyes where unread able. He stood up and took Soras arm and with out a word he lead the brunet towards the docks, where they could still hear the music but they could talk without yelling or having to worry about others listening in. They hadn't gone unnoticed though, Kairi had seen them leave and being nosey –even though she justified herself by saying she was simply worried about Sora, made her way over and hid behind a crate.

Riku was staring over at Play Island and Sora was staring up at the sky. The moon cascaded down on the two of them; making Riku's silver hair glow with a surreal almost angelic look and made Sora's sandy brown shimmer almost copper, Kairi rolled her eyes, even the moonlight made Riku look better than Sora. They had yet to start talking and after watching and waiting for almost ten minutes –she was almost ready to head back to the beach when she heard a sigh and strained her ears to hear every word.

'So, Sora, you were going to say something earlier?'

The brunet sighed and sat down, taking his sandals off and rolled up his pant legs, as he dipped his feet in the water, 'It…it was nothing.'

'Sora-'

'What Riku, do you want me to say? That I am fine and everything is peachy?'

'No,' He narrowed his eyes and looked over at his friend, 'I want you to tell me what's wrong.'

'Everything is wrong…'

'Would you like to elaborate, we have all night.'

'I-' Once again Sora was interrupted as a loud crack came from the island in the distance and a bright flash, 'Fireworks?'

Riku squinted and Kairi came out of hiding to stand next to them. Neither of them said anything as they watched the light show –and they weren't the only ones. The music from the party had stopped as people stood as close to the water as they could and cheered. There was one final crack and it was over. The cheering was louder and eventually died down at the music came back to life, bit Sora and Riku still had an uneasy feeling as they watched the island.

'Should we go and see what it was?'

'It was probably just some pranksters with firecrackers…'

'All the boats are still tied…' The three of them shifted uneasily before making a quick decision. Sora and Riku picked up two little wooden swords that some kids had left behind as Kairi untied a boat. Climbing in they slowly made their way to Play Island.

Riku kept his eyes forward as he paddled, Kairi looked around the boat for something to use once they reached the mini beach, and Sora's never left the water. Watching as it parted in front of the small boat, as it rippled when the paddle dipped and the beads that dripped when it was lifted. Was he waiting for something, for a clone to jump and start attacking them or maybe Ursula, the sea witch, would rise from the waters and use the trident to engulf the land in waters completely under her control. Once again he was jarred from his thoughts as the rowboat roughly hit the sand. Jumping out of the small craft he helped Riku bring it up on the beach, Kairi pulled the flashlight she had found out and turned it on. As bright as the moon was a little extra light never hurt anyone.

Sora was even more on edge as they walked around the beach, looking around he spotted the extension of the island that he and Riku had dueled on, the tree where the paupau fruit grew –and the spot where they had discussed the possibility of other worlds. He heard a rustle from a bush and he jumped around, crouching in an attack position wielding the wooden blade as though it was his keyblade. Nothing came and slowly he approached the small shrub and gave it a quick kick –rolling back when it moved, he was about to take a swing at it when a bird flew out and Sora let out a heavy sigh.

'I don't see anything out of the ordinary.'

'And what, Kai, do you consider "ordinary" these days?'

Kairi sighed and pointed her flashlight at Riku but didn't say anything as she turned around to face Sora, 'Sor…?'

He was staring off again but this time at a small, hidden if you didn't know it was there, cave,

_'This world has been connected.' A twelve year old Sora stared up at the cloaked man with a confused look on his face, but he didn't get a chance to question him as the man –and the door, disappeared. _

A flash of light in the corner of his eyes broke his thoughts for the millionth time that day, and he looked over to see Riku and Kairi waiting for him, 'C'mon Sor we still have the other side to look over.' The other side, where he and Riku had raced for the name of the raft, of course Riku had won and had named it Highwind.

They walked around the island, the sound and light of the festival was blocked out completely and everything was silent but not empty. On the ground and partly in the water were six silhouettes, five laying and one standing. The moonlight shimmered off his white beard as he brushed sand off his blue robes and looked about for his hat. Sora stopped mid-step and felt his breath catch in his throat. This was not possible. He was asleep and his mind was playing a cruel joke on him. Instead of having a nightmare he was having a pleasant dream that would leave him in the same state. In tears.

Merlin fixed his glasses and looked over as he placed his hat back on his head, 'Sora my dear boy!'

And that was when he broke. Dream of no, Sora dropped the wooden sword and ran over, tears in his eyes and gave the magician a hug. Merlin laughed and returned it with a soft, fatherly smile, patting Sora's head as the teenager all but sobbed in his shoulder.

Riku and Kairi watched. Of course they had heard all about the magician and the other people that Sora had met –but they never thought they would ever meet in person,

'How…' Riku asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Merlin merely winked at the other two teens and then glanced about the bodies laying around his feet,

'I have my ways boy. Now, help me wake this sorry lot.'

* * *

There, tada -not a bad start to my new story. Tell me what you think, I am working on chapter two at this very moment... No, actually I am not, I am finishing Chapter two of my other story at this very moment. But I will get started in a little while.


	2. In A Land Far Away

First off, I want to say Yay! I'm so glad that you guys like this little scrap of nothing that has been floating in the empty space of my head, and I'm sorry that I made you wait so long for the second chapter.

'Talking' – _Flashback_ – xXx scene change

* * *

'What are these things?' Came the frustrated wail of the chubby hobbit, as he brought a frying pan around and tried to crash it into the skull of one of the small black insect like creatures. Not that it did anything, sure it connected with the yellow-eyed Shadow but there was no damage done. The creature simply blinked and shook its head before charging again.

'I don't know…but they just keep coming!' The darker haired hobbit sighed as he came back to back with the chubby one. They had only left their home a few days earlier, and from that time had met up with swarms of the little bug-eyed creatures who seemed to be around every corner hiding in every space. The only time they didn't seem to come at the pair was when they where inside buildings. But they weren't at the moment, the two hobbits where in the middle of a corn field.

'Master Frodo, we're going to have to just run for it.'

'I agree, Sam, but it's like they know were we'll be before we do…'

Sam shook his head, running a hand through his brown curls, 'We'll just have to hope and make it to Bree, meet up with Gandalf and see if he knows anything about these…what ever they are.'

Frodo nodded as the two of them started to run down one of the many paths in the garden. The corn stalks towered over the two hobbits and they could barely see where they were going, as the dived in between rows of corn, avoiding the Heartless. They had been doing a good job when they heard the snap of corn stalks coming from either side of the path. Stopping in the middle, Sam and Frodo stood back to back. Sam held up his frying pan as two figures came running out, holding cabbages and carrots. They ran into the two stationary hobbits with an ouf.

'Oi, it's Frodo!' The lighter haired of the two of them grinned, as he sat up and stared down at his cousin.

'Pippin,' Frodo's voice was caught between scared and amused, 'wh-what are you doing here?'

'Getting some food.' He stated rather naturally, as an angry Sam pulled the bubbling hobbit off of Frodo.

'And running from those giant ant looking things.' The other huffed, as he picked up a dropped vegetable and dusted it off. The four hobbits stood and stared at each other for another moment, before the sound of something moving in the crops besides them grabbed their attention and they all bolted. Running as fast as their little feet could carry them, neither of them where really paying much attention to where they were going. All they wanted was to simply get away from the creatures that chased them.

Not watching your footing can sometimes get you in more trouble then it can get you out of. Sooner or later the path you're on will come to an end, and that was exactly what happened to the four halflings as they came bursting out of the end of the corn field. With no fence to stop them in their tracks, and not enough time to realize the end of the cliff before reaching it, the four of them soon found themselves running off of the edge and falling onto the road bellow. The main road. Frodo stood and looked around, a look of panic quickly filling his features before he turned to the other three, Merry and Pippin where complaining about broken carrots and Sam was trying to ignore the both of them,

'We have to get off the road…' He said it once, but no one seemed to hear him, 'Get off the road!' Frodo all but shouted as he pushed and pulled his friends across the dirt path and pushed them down behind a hollowed out log.

'What's gotten into you, Frodo?'

'Shh!'

Frodo seemed a little paler as he pressed back as far as he could. The sound of horse hooves came down the beaten and well used road, as the four of them held their breaths. The horse stopped not to far from their hiding spot as the sounds of the rider descending and coming towards them echoed through the suddenly silent woods around them. Frodo glanced up through a hole in the log and watched as the black cloaked rider leaned over the log, making a loud sniffing sound. It was a confusing noise, until they noticed the insects and other bugs crawling up from the ground, walking across their bare feet and shoulders. It only lasted a moment longer before the figure let out a frustrated shriek and got back on his horse, going the way he came. The hobbits let out the breath the had been holding, jumping up and brushing off the bugs.

'What the hells was that then?'

'First the black…things in the corn, and now this!' They all looked to Frodo and he just shook his head,

'We need to get to Bree and fast.'

'That we do, Master Frodo.'

'Well…we're coming with you.'

'Yeah, no way I'm walking back with all these things on the loose!'

Frodo chuckled and ran a hand through his dark curls, as he started walking down in the direction of Bree. For the most part they stayed well away from the main path, but as they got closer to the river, they almost had no choice but to be on it.

Minutes that seemed like hours, and feet that seemed like miles, passed as the sun started to set around them. Night was coming, but that wasn't what was worrying the troubled group. It was the fact that they hadn't come across any of the creatures they where running from since the incident near mid-day that had them on edge, jumping at every little noise, turning their heads at every movement that caught their eyes.

It was well into the night when they reached the edge of the woods and had no choice but to walk on the path,

'There's the ferry.'

'Let's go…'

It wasn't much of a ferry, merely a raft and a stick to push it, but it would get them across the water and that was all that they wanted. Not that they would get there in peace. Just as they were starting to get used to not having anything following them glowing yellow eyes stared out from the depths of the trees and behind the bushes, the sound of horse hooves slammed down behind them, and they took to running. That only seemed to spur the monsters on and they appeared to be the faster.

'I don't think we can out run them!'

'We just gotta get to the raft!'

Sam, Merry, and Pippin jumped on the flimsy craft and started untying it, Frodo though wasn't as lucky as he was being chased in almost a complete circle by the man on the horse. The Heartless had him almost completely closed off in the back, but he managed to find an opening and made his way towards the dock. Jumping over a fallen part of the fence, Frodo ran, and pushed himself, as fast as he could and than some. The raft was starting to float farther along and he had to push his legs harder to build up the momentum to make the leap. Sam was ready to catch him, but he wasn't expecting one of the yellow-eyed things to appear out of no where on the raft. It took him by surprise, but he managed to catch Frodo and pull him safely onto the raft. Using the pole, Merry tried to push the Shadow off –and it worked, they fell into the lake with a splash. The rider on the horse stopped at the edge of the dock and let out another shriek, as he made back towards the path he was soon joined by others, though it was dark and they were far away, the hobbits could not tell just how many of them there were.

xXx

It had started raining, by the time they had reached the gates of Bree. With their cloaks pulled tight around their bodies, and hoods up on their heads, the hobbits looked both ways before crossing the street. Making sure that no unwanted horse riders or tiny monsters where within their sights, they quickly ran to the large wooden gate and pounded on it.

An old man opened the window in the door and blinked, before looking down, he closed that one and knelt –opening another one at the height of the hobbits, 'What do ye want?'

'We're trying to get to the Inn.'

'I can't help ye.'

'Please…let us in, we're meeting with a friend, it's important that we see him.'

The human eyed the four of them before standing back and opening the door for them. With out thinking any more about it, they ran inside the village walls and made towards the inn. It wasn't hard to point out, even in the stormy weather, with the sing creaking in the wind, a picture of a horse standing on its hind legs clearly stated what it was. With a sigh of relief, they walked in. Inside the Prancing Pony, was no different than the inside of any other inn that could be found across Middle Earth. It was drab and shabby, yet it was obvious that the owner put some effort into keeping it clean. Though the humans who where drinking and cheering on were anything but clean. They were loud as they talked, food and ale flying off in all directions as they hollered and laughed like packs of wild animals. It disturbed the hobbits, the way that the bigger folk carried themselves and than looked down on the group of four because they were little than less of half the humans size.

There was one man, besides the innkeeper, who did not seem to feel the need to hound down on the hobbits. He sat lone, in the far corner of the inn, smoking his pipe with his hood pulled up over his head, hiding his face. He had been watching the group since they had walked into the inn, eyes never once leaving either hobbit. Even when one of them stood to go and fetch more ale, it was as though he could watch them all at the same time, without fear of either getting out of his sight. He noticed when the darker haired one motioned for the innkeeper and the two of them looked in his direction, that didn't faze him, he did not look away. He watched as the innkeeper told the hobbit that his name was unknown, but folk around these parts called him Strider, and that he was a Ranger. He waited as the more bubbly of the group stood and walked over to get a bigger mug of ale, listening as he heard the name Frodo Baggins and than the darker haired one from before standing and running over, pulling on his shoulder almost frantically,

'Pippin, stop!'

'Hey watch it now!' The little scuffle wasn't even really much, but Frodo fell back, tripping on the foot of a passerby. Strider sat up a little straighter on the bench as he saw the little golden trinket come out of the hobbits pocket and fly into the air. He bolted to his feet when the ring fell perfectly on Frodo's index finger, and the hobbit disappeared. The looks of worry on the faces of the other three did not go unnoticed by his calculating eyes. Time seemed to stand still and then Frodo was visible again, underneath one of the tables. Strider made his way over and grabbed Frodo by his shoulder, carrying him up the stairs and to his room. An angry Sam, disgruntled Merry, and scared Pippin followed him without a word…well Sam cast a few choice words at the human who claimed to be their friend, but after a well placed threat the chubby hobbit fell silent.

'I know what it is that hunts you.' He told them, after they woke from a deep sleep, the sound of the shrieking riders filled the night and glancing out the window they could see the seven riders make their leave of the town. Frodo sat up on the bed, his eyes wide with being awake,

'What are they?'

'The Nazgul, Ring Wraiths they-'

'And…what about the other creatures that follow them?'

Strider frowned as he listened to the tale of the shadows that looked like insects. Though only slightly smaller then a hobbit and stood on their hind legs, being all black with the exception of two beady yellow eyes, and with no mouth or nose…or fingers, toes, ears –or anything that would otherwise distinguish them as anything humanoid. He shook his head, greasy brown hair falling into his face,

'I do not know what these creatures are that you speak of. Though I have seen them from a distance…' He had seen them in swarms, rising out of the ground of any surface. It made him weiry to think about it, 'No matter what, however, you cannot wait here for your friend. We must part.'

'We can't leave yet. Not until we talk to Gandalf.' Sam shook his head and he looked to Frodo, who simply let out a sigh,

'Strider's right, Sam…we can't sit here and wait for either of the enemies to come back.

xXx

Gandalf was other wise preoccupied as he sat atop the tower of Sarumon, thinking about the conversation that he had not only with the white wizard, but also a good friend of his.

_Gandalf stood at the edge of the woods, his arms folded across his chest as his staff leaned up against the tree next to him. It wouldn't take long for the transportation to be complete, though it had taken longer than he would have liked for the message to go through in the first place. There was a snap and a crackle, before a puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the lake, with a loud splash a figure fell in the water. Merlin stood up and coughed up a mouthful of the lake, _

_'You could not have picked a better location to meet, could you have not?'_

_'It's nice to see you again as well, old friend.'_

_'Old? Who are you calling old,' Merlin grumbled as he waded back to the shore line, his light blue robe was darker because of the water, and he had to ring out his hat, the Grey Wizard simply chuckled, before his face turned grave,_

_'Enough of the jokes, friend, we have a serious problem. There are creatures that I have never seen nor heard of roaming around.'_

_'Is that why you called me? Surely you should know better than to-'_

_'Merlin, I read the archives. There is no telling of these beings ever before. And then I remembered a conversation that we had a few years ago.'_

_'Are you saying?'_

_'The Heartless have come to Middle Earth.'_

* * *

That's it for this chapter. In chapter three the two worlds will come together, but is everyone truly willing to go along of the ride?


	3. Two Worlds Colide

OH MY GOD! I updated. Can you believe this? I surely can't. I'm telling you that I've been so stumped coming up with this chapter that...I'm surprised that it ever came out. Though I am happy with the results. The same disclaimers and the lot apply for this chapter, same with all the keys...except I'm going from using 'as speech' to the proper "for talking". I will be (eventually) editing the first two chapters to accomidate this.

Also, I would like to apologise for the seeming rushed feeling in the Rivendale part of the story...as I was writing it on paper it just seemed to drag on, and we all know what went on during the meeting.

* * *

The air was turning cold, as the night went on and the wind that blew off the sea became stronger. Softly, the sound of the music from the main island made its way to the far side of Play Island. Though it wasn't clear what song was pounding through the large speakers, but the base was pounding clear.

Not that it really mattered to the group of people on the beach of the mini island. Most of them were still unconscious; those that had woken up were helping bring the rest of them into the small, sea side shack and out of the, growing colder, night wind. No one said a word during the process, and even once everyone was inside the old, play area no one spoke. Slowly the remaining sleepers started to wake up and look around. Confusion was the most common expression, followed by smiles and grins as their eyes landed on the brunet boy in the corner.

Sora was still in partial shock he still couldn't, wouldn't, believe that they were here. Not one or two of them, but seven of them. Surely this was some sort of trick that his mind was playing on him. What had he been doing, before he went to the dock to count stars and talk to Riku? Oh right, he had been sitting on a fallen log, watching the fire dance and flicker. Maybe, maybe he had fallen asleep. Yes...that had to be it...and pretty soon he was going to wake up and,

"Sora!"

He jumped, startled and caught off guard. He turned around and looked over, taking a stumble backwards as he came face to face with an upset looking red head, "...what is it, Kairi?"

"Don't 'what is it' me. These people are trying to talk to you, and you're standing here like a mindless zombie! You didn't even respond the first ten times I called your name."

"...sorry..." he sighed, looking down at his feet. Kairi stood up straight, hands on her hips, not at all looking amused, pleased, or even content with Sora at the moment. The brunet let out another sigh and took a look around, each one of the others had an expression of worry and concern, showing it in their own unique ways. Sora pulled out a grin, no matter how forced and fake it felt, he had gotten good at making them look real. However, they didn't exactly convince everyone,

"Sora..."

"I'm fine. Really. I'll be even better in a few hours."

"Sora...you're not sleeping." Riku sighed softly, putting a hand on his friends shoulder, "They are really here. This means that something is really wrong." The silver haired teen looked over at the old man in the blue dress.

Merlin sighed, running his fingers through his long, white, beard, "How I wish this was simply a leisure visit. Unfortunately, what Riku speaks is the truth. And don't look at me like that, I know all about you two."

"Well it doesn't matter why you're here, but you should leave. The door to this island is locked and sealed...and it's going to stay that way."

"Of course it is, Kairi, we did not use the doorways to travel. We used magic." Merlin looked rather pleased with himself and the fact that his spell worked the way he wanted, with no side effects. The remainder of his group finally stood and dusted themselves off.

Sora shook his head, hands going to grasp his hair, "NO! No, you're not here. This is all a dream. Soon I'm going to wake up and Mom's going to be banging on the door, telling me to finish getting ready because Riku and Kairi are here so the three of us can go to the bonfire!"

"Sora..."

"Don't bother, Leon...the kids obviously gone mental."

"Oh stuff it, Cid, can't you see he's under a lot of stress?"

Leon and Cloud exchanged flat looks, when Yuffie and Cid started bickering. Sora used the distraction to slip outside, though he hadn't gone unnoticed. Kairi, being ever watchful, had seen him go and nudged Riku in the same direction. With a sigh, Riku took the hint and slipped out as well. He looked around for a moment, before spotting Sora sitting on the paupau tree.

Crossing the bridge Riku cleared his throat to announce his presence, not that it did anything, Sora never even blinked. The ex-Keyblade wielder was too far gone in thought as he stared at the moon, which was pale and around...like a moon should be. He shivered as the wind blew through him and let out a sigh when he saw Riku,

"What...come out here to tell me to calm down and go back inside?"

"No, that's just what Kairi thinks I'm doing." Riku chuckled and hopped up to sit next to Sora, "I just came out to see what you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything...just watching and thinking..."

"That's all you've been doing lately, Sor, just watch and think."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Sora stared at his hands, "There is nothing else for me to do...it's so boring that I want to sleep, but every time I close my eyes all I get are nightmares, so I haven't been sleeping...and because of that, I see them. I see them everywhere!" He tangled his fingers in his hair, gripping the sides of his head. Riku watched with sad eyes. It was hard for him too. The darkness was still in his heart, and he still worried that it may consume him once more, that it would take hold and extinguish what little light he had managed to find, and keep, during the eventless years. They sat in silence for a few more moments, neither one of them wanting to speak though both hopping that the other would say something to break the stillness of the night. There was a rustle in the trees above them, and Sora snapped to attention just in time to see a seagull fly out towards the sea. He let out a frustrated sigh and leaned against the trunk of the tree he sat on. It was like this all the time. The smallest noise and he was out of his skin in panic, he didn't have the Keyblade anymore so he wasn't sure how he was supposed to defend himself, or the island, if anything ever did come back. Riku, noticing the distress, put a hand on Sora's shoulder,

"It's just a bird, Sor. Do you want to go back to the others now?"

He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, "...yes." Sora slid off of the tree trunk and started walking back. Riku hopped down and walked next to him, hands in his pockets,

"You know...this is where it started..."

"Yeah...this is where you got consumed by the darkness..."

"And the adventure started...you know...I've been thinking a lot too, since we got back."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I've been trying to think of what life would be like if we never tried to sail to other worlds...what life would be like if Kairi never showed up on our island that day."

Sora looked over at him and blinked, "What do you mean...if Kairi never came..."

"Just that. Think about it Sora, if she never showed up on the island we'd never have even thought about other worlds possibly existing, let alone try to get to them."

"That...that's not necessarily true, and don't try to blame it all on her. She didn't do anything."

Riku sighed and ran a hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck, "Look, all I'm saying is that maybe things would be different. Though it's hard to picture life without everything that happened."

"I can't think like that...besides, if I had really been fated to be the Keyblade's next master...it would have happened anyway."

Riku was about to say something else when Sora opened the wooden door and stepped back inside. Both of them walked down the creaking stairs and into the room where everyone was still waiting. Sora, the ever disbeliever, decided that he should just go along with it. After all, the worst that could happen in a dream was to wake up.

"There you are, my boy," Merlin smiled, and everyone else stopped talking, as the two teens made their way over to him, "Now, about why we are here."

"Okay...tell us and I'll try to believe you."

"Thank you for at least doing that." Merlin sighed and shook his head, "A few days ago, by our calendar, I had been visiting with an old friend, nothing uncommon as I go there every couple of months to see how he's doing. Anyway, the last time I was there, something was incredibly wrong. Heartless-"

"You're wasting your time here than. Sora doesn't have the Keyblade anymore."

"Kairi's right..." the brunet spoke at the look on Merlin's face, "I haven't been able to call it since the day we returned to the island."

"Rubbish my boy. There just hasn't been any need for it to come to you. A little fight is all it needs."

"No, you've got it all wrong, Merlin. I...I'm no use to anyone anymore."

"Now see here boy-"

"No, you see here, you crazy old man," Kairi huffed, standing between a distraught Sora and a slightly frustrated Merlin, "Sora is done fighting battles that have nothing to do with him or affect us directly. He doesn't have the Keyblade and he doesn't want it back. So why don't you all just go back to where ever you came from and let us go on with our lives!"

"Somehow, I don't think your little speech holds much truth." The old man looked passed her and at Sora, who was staring at his feet. She was telling the truth. Sora wanted to tell them that it was all true, that he didn't want the Keyblade back, that he didn't want to go and fight someone else's battle, and that all he wanted to do was forget and try to lead a normal life. But he couldn't forget. And he was so far way from being a normal teenage boy that a normal life sounded just as farfetched to him, as Heartless and other worlds did to the rest of his friends. Selphie, Tidus, Wakka...they were the normal ones, and oh how he envied them.

"No...She's right..."

"Sora...you can't mean that...we need your help."

"Help, I'm the one that needs help. You haven't seen or been through any of the things that I have. All I want to do is get my life back. Two years, I missed out on two years of my life...because you needed my help. Now I can't sleep at night, I can't go five minutes without looking over my shoulders...I'm not helping anyone in any other world, besides my own."

Merlin give him a sad look, "If that's the way it's going to be, than you leave me no choice..." he closed his eyes and started to cast his spell. Slowly a blue light started to cover his hands and work its way into filling the room. Sora shook his head and started to make a run for it, but it was too late, they were all being transported. When the light faded only one remained in the room. Kairi looked around and frowned, before she got up and stormed back to the main land.

xXx

Blue eyes peeked open as the sunshine streamed down and covered his face. Slowly he started to sit up, wincing at the sharp pain in his side. Curiosity filled his eyes, as he took in his surroundings and tried to figure out exactly why he wasn't dead.

The last thing that he remembered was standing at the top of the old watch tower, surrounded by Ring Wraiths, and then a searing cold pain as the blade of a Nazgul pierced his side. After that it was all a blur, a cold blur, as he felt the chilling fingers of a fate worse than death, an unspeakable darkness, which tried to consume him. But it had all been washed away by the warmth of a white light. A light so bright that it may have blinded him had she not been blocking the source. She, an angel with brown hair, green eyes, and ears that pointed towards the heavens, dressed all in white. She had saved him.

"Where...where am I?" He wondered out loud, not expecting anyone to answer him, and he almost fell off of the bed when he heard the other speak,

"You are in the house of Elrond, in Rivendale." Rivendale, he almost couldn't believe it. The home of the elves. He was sure that Sam was having the time of his life right now. A smile passed over his lips as he thought of his friend, playing some elfish game with a group of Elvin children while their mothers watched on. The smile soon faded though, as he turned to look at Gandalf,

"Why weren't you in Bree?"

The Gray Wizard looked over at the wounded hobbit and gave him a small smile as he puffed away on his pipe, "My apologies, Frodo. I simply had gotten tied up with a few...unexpected matters."

Frodo nodded, seeming to accept the answer, and leaned back into the pillow.

"Frodo, you're awake!" Sam called as he came running over. The brunet hobbit chuckled, as he moved to get a bit more comfy, "We've been so worried about you. It's been almost a week since we've arrived."

"Sam has hardly left your side." Gandalf chuckled. He stood up, gently patting Frodo's back, "Get some more rest and then come and join us for dinner." He left, leaving the two hobbits alone.

Unlike what the old wizard said, Frodo didn't fall back asleep. Instead he had Sam help him up, and tell him all that he had missed while he had been unconscious. They walked around for a while, meeting up with Merry and Pippin, who tagged along and filled in any gaps in the story that Sam may have missed the first time. Then the four of them stopped and stared out at the scenery, taking it all in. From the mammoth mountains to the crystal clear waters of the waterfall, it was all breath taking and they were blissfully unaware of the two others watching them from high above.

"He is getting his strength back at a remarkable rate."

"Unfortunately he will always bare the scar."

"Though to have brought the ring this far, the hobbit has shown a great resistance to the rings power." Elrond stepped away from the balcony and walked down into his study. Gandalf followed, not at all liking how the tone in the elf's voice was seemingly leading towards bad news, "However, Gandalf, the ring cannot stay here."

The wizard sighed, "We can ask no more of Frodo, this is a burden that he should never have had to bear."

"I agree. But I stand by what I said. The ring cannot stay here. If Saruman is truly betrayed us than it is only a matter of time before the darkness descends upon Rivendale. And this army of his..."

"I have never seen anything like it before. He is breeding Orcs and Goblins to create a race that is powerful and fast, capable of traveling great distances under the sunlight. As well...as creatures that have never been seen before, able to move within the darkness and travel undetected, less they want to be found...all of them ruthless fighters." Gandalf sighed and Elrond shook his head. What the wizard spoke only strengthened the elf king's words.

"Gandalf, the ring cannot stay here."

As the sun started to set, more guests started to arrive. Members of each race and designated persons. The wood elves, dwarves, and men rode up on their horses to the stone gates of the great Elvin city. They were all called for a special meeting, one that would decide the fate of the ring. There were arguments and disagreements all around, identity's revealed that Strider was in fact, Aragon was really the rightful king of Gondor, a title he did not want, and a fact that made Boromir rather upset. He proclaimed that Gondor had, and needed, no king. More time went by and still nothing had been solved. Eventually the bickering turned into heated arguments, some of which Gandalf and even Elrond participated in, and Frodo's head started to hurt. More so as the essence of the Ring started calling out to him. Finally he could take it no more and stood,

"I will take it." When it seemed as though no one heard him, he repeated himself louder. In the end, it was Frodo and eight companions who would travel across Middle Earth to put an end to the cursed ring for good. Though they would not be entirely alone.

As they were getting ready to leave, Frodo having just come from seeing his uncle Bilbo for the last time until he returned, there was a bright blue light in the sky. Everyone drew their swords, except for Gandalf, who stepped in front, and Elrond besides him.

"Merlin, so glad you could join us." He chuckled at the light cleared, showing eight, very much awake, people.

"Gandalf, Elrond, sorry for being late, a few of us had a hard time deciding if they wanted to come or not." He gave Sora a pointed look. Sora frowned and folded his arms over his chest. He did not want to be here at all.

"Gandalf, who are these people?"

"Merlin is an old friend of mine, he and his friends are here to put an end to the Heartless."

"Heartless?"

"Yes, they're what you call those small black monsters with glowing yellow eyes. We're here to see why they are here and put an end to them."

Frodo blinked, he was still confused but grateful. Though he had to wonder just how they were going to do it. Striders' blade hadn't even been able to destroy them, simply stun the little insects long enough for them to escape.

Sora was also wondering, but his was somewhat different. He didn't have his Keyblade and Riku did not have his, and neither of them remembered how to use their magic. More importantly, he wanted to go home. He didn't want to be on another world and he didn't want to be thrown into a new fight. He could not stress those two things enough, but it seemed like the more he fought it, the more people pushed him to do both those things.

After introductions were made, Sora and company where fitted with Middle Earth clothing and horses.

"Just like a chocobo..." Cloud muttered as he climbed into the saddle, Yuffie and Arieth agreed, Cid on the other hand did not. He started cursing as he tried to get his horse to move, but all the animal seemed interested in doing was eating, though he was faring better than Leon, who could barely stay on as his horse walked. Sora sighed as he rode next to Riku, hoping that his wouldn't take too long so they could both return home.

It was when they had all come out from between the mountains and under the trees, out into the open plains that he noticed it. There in the sky, glowing a bright golden yellow with a red outline,

"What...what is that? I've never seen anything like it in my entire life..." Legolas said in a hushed breath,

Sora frowned, and knew that this was not going to be a simple task, "that...is Kingdom Hearts."

"But what is it doing here..."

"That Riku, and Sora, is what we're going to find out." Merlin looked up to the sky, all of them watching as the heart shape moon pulsated light, an eerie light, and cast it's enchanting spell over the land that it had appeared atop. Along with a few more surprised.

* * *

And that is that. I hope that you enjoyed it. And with any luck it wont be almost a year (or two) until my next update. Now that things are finally moving, and poor Sora is in for the advenutre to rule them all. Sorry, I had to.


	4. A Telling of Tales

Oh my God.

It's been how long since I gave you guys a REAL chapter? Too long.

I just...rereading the first version of Chapter 4 I did not like at all how it was turning out -and no worries. For those of you who had read the original chapter nothing in it is going to be used from here on in. I had a complete change of heart on the story and it's going on a different path than the one it was on before. But, now that this chapter is done and as I like it the others shouldn't be too far behind it. I'm hoping for a chapter a month (though I might not live up to that promise).

Another, small warning...I haven't exactly beaten Birth By Sleep yet, and I'm not sure how reliable the Kingdom Hearts wiki is...so if some of the information is wrong...deal with it, lol, because c'mon -what are the chances that they'd really know? Besides, everything's all legend right?

"Talk" - there are no_ flashbacks_ - xXx is scene change

* * *

"Kingdom Hearts..." the man's voice was in slight awe as he stood on the balcony of the tall tower and stared up at the sky. Though it was the middle of the afternoon, the heart shaped moon floated high above them, full and bright as the regular moon on a clear night, "This...can be mine?" He turned his torso slightly so that he could look at the other figure standing in the doorway while still facing outwardly. The figure nodded, or at least he presumed the other to be nodding. It was hard to tell where the head started and the hump on the others back began, what made the task even more difficult was that they were wearing a blood red cloak with the hood pulled over their face.

"It can be all yours...but it is not so simple as you might think," the figure made the motion of tilting what was assumed to be the head, upwards, to look at the old man better, "Even for one of your...capabilities." There was a possible mocking tone to the deep voice, and a snake like hiss that made it sound as though it raised and lowered on every other syllable.

The older man let out a disgruntled noise as he turned fully around, his greying beard hung low, and he fixed his white robes as he pointed the white staff he carried at the person by the door, "I have powers beyond that which someone like you could possibly imagine. I will achieve Kingdom Hearts, and it will be easier than you say."

There was a laugh and no denying the mocking that was placed behind the words that followed, "You honestly believe that you can defeat two key bearers?" The head was shaken as what should have been shoulders, and the hump, shook in silent laughter, "I have seen what they are capable of. You are not strong enough, even with your crossbred orcs and goblins."

"Then tell me, since you are so knowledgeable, how do I defeat them?" Saruman growled as he pushed passed the hunchback and made his way towards his throne. The figure hobbled behind him, the sound of a grin on twisted lips presented itself in its voice,

"The X-blade."

"...The X-blade?"

The figure nodded again as it moved closer to the throne, "The X-blade, is a legendary Keyblade that can summon Kingdom Hearts directly to the wielder. It is possible for this mystic weapon to be yours if..."

"If?" The old wizard was sitting at the edge of his seat, though outwardly he remained calm and on the verge of annoyance as he sat straight and still, watching and waiting as the hunchback decided how long of a pause they really needed to take before telling,

"If you can successfully fuse two hearts together, one of pure light and the other of pure darkness."

Saruman frowned, though not in disappointment but in contemplation. So he needed to get this...X-blade and to do that he required two hearts. It did not sound so difficult, however, "...where am I to find two such hearts?"

The head lifted, along with it the hood rose high enough to reveal sharp, broken, teeth, slanted in a grin, "There are two, Keyblade wielders, currently wandering around Middle Earth. They are in large company, but not one you are unfamiliar with as I believe one of their companions carries another artefact you are in search of. A ring."

A single, white, eyebrow raised with lost elegance as the cold eyes narrowed into deeper thought than the frown before them had led on. So the Ring was traveling with Keyblade Masters. There were two, so all that he would be required to do was corrupt one and salvage the other. A sinister grin came to cracked lips, revealing the yellow stained teeth, and a mad cackle emanated from somewhere deep within his chest, "This will be a simple task." He stood and made his way towards an obsidian pillar in the middle of the large circular room and removed the thin piece of fabric from atop the magical orb that rested upon it. The figure cloaked in red saw this as his time to leave; he opened a dark portal and slipped through while Saruman was preoccupied. The once White Wizard placed his hand over the orb and closed his eyelids, to see with his mind what his body could not.

xXx

There was an almost hush atmosphere as the rather large group of people made their way across the open terrain. The only sounds that could be heard, besides the odd sound of a bird or other small woodland creature, were the crunch of leaves and rocks underfoot.

Though they were large in number, they traveled in their own little groups. Leon walked near the rear with Aragorn, making sure that nothing snuck up behind them. Merlin and Gandalf walked near the front with the four hobbits, Sora, and Riku as they talked in hushed tones. The girls walked together, Cloud walked and talked with Legolas at the lead, and Cid walked in silence beside Gimli and Boromir.

"So Saruman is working for Sauron in the search for the Ring?" Merlin asked, blinking in what was presumed to be disbelief. He had known Saruman for as long as he had known Gandalf and could not believe that someone as well respected as the White Wizard would stoop to such a level,

"He has gone mad with the lust for power." Gandalf sighed as he shook his head, looking forward. Sora frowned softly as he listened to them talking. From what he could tell this problem seemed to be solely to the residents of this world, and had Kingdom Hearts not appeared in their sky he probably never would have been bothered with it. The brunet turned his new found glare towards the object of his disdain. Was he not allowed to have a normal life? Could he, Riku, and Kairi –as well as all the others, not be allowed to have a chance of peace, or perhaps the two years that they had received was time enough. It still did not make any sense to him. Neither he nor Riku had their Keyblades or magic or any other items that may prove to be useful. The only thing that made this whole thing even slightly better was the fact that he knew where Kairi was and he knew that nothing was going to slip through a door and attack Destiny Island.

There was a pause in the wizards' conversation and the brunet looked over at them, back at the moon, and then back to them with a deeper frown on his lips, "So...this Saruman or Sauron...or whoever. Do you think that they might be in control of the Heartless too?"

Gandalf shook his head, "I do not know myself. When I was last at the Tower of Orthanc...it was not a pleasant experience, but I did not see any Heartless." But he did see the trees being torn down and holes being dug deep into the ground.

Merlin sighed in disappointment as he glanced at the sky, "I would not have believed that Saruman would become a corrupt man."

"He has always made hints about wanting the Ring for himself. I am in sure that in the start his intentions were pure. But then he became obsessed with the possibility of the power it contained and what he would be granted."

"It is still hard to swallow. He used to be such a caring man."

"Not to interrupt," Riku ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck, "But if it's not Saruman who is controlling the Heartless, or this other Sauron person...than who is?"

"And," Sora added as Merlin opened his mouth, "How do you expect us to fight without our Keyblades."

Merlin chuckled, "You have your Keyblades, Sora. They never left." He cleared his throat and looked at the silver haired teen as he stroked his long beard, "Well, that's what we're here to find out and put a stop to."

"And we'll do our part and destroy the Ring." Frodo's voice piped up from the other side of the Grey Wizard. Sora had almost forgotten that the hobbits were walking besides them. The four little ones had kept to themselves, listening but not speaking as the conversation grew on. It was nice to know that they could speak. The dark haired hobbit looked up at the sky, "I find it hard to believe that something that sounds so wonderful, something that looks harmless enough, is something so devastating."

"The same could be said about your ring." Riku pointed out. Sora was finished with the conversation. Any and all talk about the heart in the sky sent chills down his spine and uneasy memories floated through his mind.

They walked for what seemed like a great part of the day, having reached rough terrain they had left the few horses they had taken from Rivendell at a nearby village and started up the rocky mountain side. They stopped after a few more hours of traveling and decided to call it a night. It only took them a few moments to set up camp and a few more to determine how they were going to split guard duty. Legolas, needing the less amount of sleep of them all agreed to go first and Cloud joined him. After their time was up they would wake Leon and Aragorn, followed by Cid and Boromir.

Even though they had teams set up, it was a while before anyone really went to sleep. The girls were out first, having curled up together near the fire for warmth. Next the hobbits fell asleep in the order of Pippin, Merry, Sam and then Frodo some time afterwards. Gimli wasn't that far behind them and soon enough everyone was sleeping, except for the two guards and Sora.

Sora lay with his back to the fire and stared off into the darkness of the surrounding woods. He couldn't help the feeling that they were being watched and he didn't want to know by what. Slowly Sora started to close his eyes. The sound of the fire crackling behind him reminded the brunet of the bonfire on the beach what seemed like just a few days ago. Thinking about the party his thoughts wandered a bit further and over to Kairi, wondering how she was doing while she knew that himself and Riku were gone and in the middle of another adventure only to return...well he wasn't sure when they would return –if they would return. When Sora reopened his eyes, the sun was starting to peek over the top of the trees and everyone was starting to wake. Had he fallen asleep? He wasn't sure but he certainly didn't feel refreshed.

Riku walked over and sat next to him holding a bowl of, something, "Here...Arieth made breakfast."

"...Not hungry."

"You have to eat. We're going to start moving again soon," Sora shrugged and Riku sighed, "Sora..."

"I just want to go home Riku. We shouldn't even be here, there is nothing we can do for these people."

"Merlin said-"

"Merlin says a lot of things. We don't have our Keyblades. We haven't had them since we defeated Xemnas and returned home. Which is where we should be, by the way."

Riku ran a hand through his hair and stood up, he was finished trying to talk to the brunet for now. He walked over to where everyone else was packing and getting ready to head out again. Frodo looked over and sighed softly as he made his way over to the ex-Keyblade master. Sora didn't even look over as the hobbit sat next to him,

"Your friend is just worried about you."

Sora felt his eyebrow twitch, "He can be worried all he wants, it's not going to change anything."

"You know," Frodo ignored the look and the tone in Sora, which clearly stated 'get the hell away from me', and kept talking, "the burden that I bare is mine and mine alone. I'm the one who the Ring chose for this particular task and I've been thinking about what will happen if I fail, if Sauron gets back what is his and plunges Middle Earth into a second, more terrifying, age of darkness," he paused and looked over to see if Sora was listening, he couldn't tell because the brunet was watching the others but he continued anyway, "but then I remember that I have people looking out for me. Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, even Pippin...they are there for me and won't let anything terrible happen. Riku is your Sam, Sora...he might be clumsy and a bit of an oaf...but he means well and has the best intentions." He watched the other brunet for a few more minutes, after not getting a response Frodo stood up and went back to where Sam was cleaning the pan. A frown made its way to Sora's lips. He knew that, in some strange and entirely unrelated way, Frodo was right. That, even though them being in this world seemed pointless and there was nothing that they could to do to save it from being overrun by Heartless, even if he hadn't seen any yet, that Riku was there and always had been...for the most part. He didn't say anything on the subject though.

Walking,

Walking,

Walking,

They walked for what seemed like hours. The sun was now completely up in the sky, sitting there harmlessly next to Kingdom Hearts. Sora, who was used to having to walk great distances along the other worlds of his travels, thought that the amount of ground they had to cover was a bit...extreme.

"It is pretty..."

Sora was pulled out of his thoughts and looked over at the group of hobbits, who were looking up at the sky again.

"What kind of magic could create such a thing?"

"Who knows," Sora sighed, finally looking up as well, "a man named Ansem the Wise and a group of his fellow assistants did research and experiments on hearts...it went wrong."

"It goes back further than that, Sora," Merlin chuckled, a sad sound, as he walked beside them. Sora looked up at the old wizard and blinked,

"What do you mean...further than that..." Riku voiced from the other side of Merlin,

"I mean that Kingdom Hearts has been around much longer than Ansem and his experiments," Merlin paused and let out another chuckle at the looks he was getting from not only Sora and Riku, but Leon as well, "Long ago the worlds were torn between the forces of Darkness and Light, each side armed with their own army of warriors. The war, known as the Keyblade War, was so massive that eventually worlds which had not been involved soon became intertwined. It was this war which made the worlds, and Kingdom Hearts, what they are today."

Sora raised an eyebrow, but it was Leon that spoke, "We talked for countless hours, but one story in particular caught my interest: that of a key called the "Keyblade". The Keyblade is said to hold phenomenal power. One legend says its wielder saved the world, while another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it. I must know what this Keyblade is. A key opens doors. It must be connected to the door I have opened." He cleared his throat at the looks of confusion he received from all of them, save Merlin, "It was in the database, Ansem's Reports. Ansem never was one to be clear about his research...I've been reviewing them, trying to figure out what it means."

"Indeed he wasn't," Merlin stroked his beard as he watched the sky; "though I am not surprised to you stumbling upon it in such a manner..." the wizard kept talking, though Sora soon fell out of the conversation and into his own thoughts once more. Trying to piece together what he already knew about Kingdom Hearts, the experiments, Ansem, Organization XIII, and the information that Merlin had reviled to them.

He thought back to all the fighting, all the battles, and all the enemies that he encountered along the way. Was he trying to protect Kingdom Hearts from the darkness or was he thrown into a re-enactment of the Keyblade War and the side of light wanted it for itself...it was all so confusing. And there was one more thing that wasn't, currently, being taken into effect,

"What does the ring have to do with any of this?" Sora ignored the fact that he interrupted Merlin, who was in the middle of explaining the Keyblade War in a slightly larger detail.

"What ring, my boy?"

"Frodo's," was all that the ex-Keyblade wielder said as he looked over at the hobbit, who ran a hand through his hair with a sigh,

"That ring...is the One Ring, created by the evil Lord Sauron to control all the other Rings of Power which were granted to the leaders of each Race. Though it had been created in secrecy..." Gandalf spoke, making Sora jump as he appeared slightly behind and to the side, walking between Sora and Merlin, "there was a war here as well. When Middle Earth was on the brink of total enslavement, a last stand was made with an alliance of Men, Elves, and Dwarves against the armies of Sauron. The battle was entering the favour of the evil lord when Isildur the son of the King of Gondor, took up the sword of his fallen father and cut the ring off of Sauron's hand. However...the hearts of Men are easily swayed by the darkness and the Ring has a mind of its own and corrupted Isildur, thus allowing it to survive all these years. Now Sauron has returned, but is not complete. He requires the ring to be whole again and the ring wants nothing more than to be reunited with its Master."

"...so why not just destroy it?"

Gandalf chuckled, the same sad and knowing noise that had come from Merlin moments ago, "The One Ring can only be unmade in the place which it was made. Deep within the fires of the Crack of Doom."

Sora frowned the tale of the Ring was eerily close to that of the Keyblade. Perhaps there was one Keyblade, just as there was one Ring. He shuddered at the thought of a Keyblade that would be able to control all the others.

* * *

There you go.

Sorry, again, for the crazy long wait. Did you know that come September it would have been almost a year since I updated, and that was from posting the apology and rewriting note? I do promise to not let it get that bad again.


	5. IMPORTANT

**Important Notice!**

****I have recently updated my profile to inform you all that, **I HAVE MOVED**.

After finally receiving my invite for AO3 -that is where I will be from now on.

_The Fellowship of the Key_ and all the other works that were filled under The Stories section of my profile **WILL** be moved to my new profile on AO3 (some might just be changing fandoms).

The link to my AO3 is located in my profile, as well as the link to my tumblr.

It's been a pleasure writing for you all -even though I update with annoying infrequency and horrendously slow pacing, and I do hope that you'll join me on AO3 to finish what I've started along side me!

- ImAMelon / OhNylL


End file.
